Former captains say Dhoni's statement was ill-timed

Dhoni had stated that he may retire from Tests by 2013

Mail Today, Jan 13th - Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s statement that he may retire from Test cricket by 2013 has drawn a lot of flak from former captains with Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev taking him to task over its timing.

Ganguly believes Dhoni does not enjoy the grind of Test cricket after six consecutive defeats on foreign soil. "I wish he is joking. And if he is really serious, then it is not sensible of him at all to make such a comment 24 hours before the start of an important Test match. I definitely feel that Dhoni does not enjoy Test cricket. His performance in Test and one-day cricket is poles apart and by making such a statement, he has also perhaps explained his complete disinterest in the longer format of the game," Ganguly told Aaj Tak.

Kapil too felt the statement was uncalled for and could be harmful for the Indian dressing room. "The timing of his statement is completely wrong. It is fine if the team knows about it otherwise the squad can fall apart midway through the tour." Kapil said.

Meanwhile, Ganguly said the verbal spat in the lead-up to the Perth Test could play into India's hands. "I think the verbal battle could play into Indian hands. I like the way they have responded. There have been talks of a rift in the team, which to me is not true. Having captained India for many years, I always felt we played well in these situations and, hopefully, this could get them going in Perth," Ganguly wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.